Tom And the Sorting
by V. L. Helmbolt
Summary: Tom Riddles Life up until the sorting, more to come later


**Tom And the Sorting**

Tom was an odd child growing up. He wasn't like normal kids, he didn't socialize and was very unusually quiet. He was in an orphanage because he had no family to care for him. He became the bully of the orphanage. One day little Timmy was upsetting Tom, so Tom started imaging ways of how he could hurt little Timmy, he imagined Timmy rolling on the floor screaming in pain…then he looked up and saw Timmy huddled in the corner, as if he had been scared very traumatically. Tom started to ask "Timmy are you alright?" but Timmy wouldn't speak to him, he just kept scooting away from Tom when he tried to get closer. Tom just gave up and walked off, not thinking anything of it.

Later that day, he was outside and was looking at an odd colored bird, which was gray with white spots. He started thinking about controlling stuff and then controlling that bird. He started to imagine it flying off the branch, going up into the air and then plummeting at a closed window on the orphanage. Suddenly there was a loud shriek that ripped across the grounds, Tom turned and looked, "A girl had made that shriek" he said to himself. He had overheard someone saying that a bird dive-bomb a closed window. A young boy started speaking to Tom about what had just happened "Tom did you see that bird fly into that closed window just a second ago?" "No, what happened?" replied Tom "Well, the bird just dove at the window and hit it." "What did the bird look like?" said Tom, the boy replied "I think it was gray with white spots, like all the other birds Tom." "You know this for sure?" "Yes Tom, I told you all I know," said the little boy. Tom walked away, taking one of his usual walks by himself, he kept pondering over the idea of him being different or magic….but he kept saying to himself "There is no way…it doesn't exist….no…it can't, no way I'm special, I'm just Tom…."

Several years later, when Tom was about eleven there was a knock on the orphanage door, a young girl, about 5 or 6 answered the door, and yelled for Mrs. Cole, the orphanage care lady. An old man was at the door, he stood about 6 feet tall, had long robes on, long fingers and a very long beard. The old man was speaking to Mrs. Cole in a polite manner, as though he had known her for a very long time, they walked back towards her office. She closed the door as they entered and what seemed like ten hours but was only ten minutes, Mrs. Cole stepped out and called for Tom Riddle.

Tom entered the room nervously and closed the door behind him. After what seemed like hours, the door opened and Tom followed by the old man and then Mrs. Cole came out of the office. The old man left immediately, saying he had to take care of some other official business. Tom left the following morning; Mrs. Cole said not to worry, as he would be back at the end of his school year.

Tom meanwhile had left for London, more specifically Diagon Alley, to retrieve all of the necessary school supplies. He visited Florish And Blotts and Ollivander's, Madam Malkins, and the wizarding bank Gringotts. After he had gathered all of his school supplies he headed towards King's Cross to get on the Hogwarts Express. He arrived at King's Cross at 10:45 and was looking franticly for platform 9 ¾. But, he was unable to find it, he stopped and asked a man for directions to it and the man just looked at him like he was a joke. Then he overheard a passing woman saying "Come on boys, the train is this way, platform 9 ¾ this way." Tom lingered back a little bit, waiting to see where they were going, he followed them to a seemingly solid barrier, which they were all running through.

He started to walk towards it after they had all gone through, as he was walking, his pace quickened with each step and he got closer and closer till he froze with fear right as he was about to hit the barrier, but he just glided right through the barrier. He gathered all his belongings and took them onto the train with him, he found an empty compartment and stuck all his luggage up in the rack.

After sitting in his compartment for about 10 minutes alone, someone opened the door and spoke "Can I sit with you?" Tom replied "Umm…sure…if you want." "Ok, my name is Avery by the way." Cool, mine is Tom…but I don't really like it." They talked for the whole ride until the food trolley came along and asked if they would like anything, Tom replied "No…I don't have any money." Avery looked at Tom then back at the trolley then back at Tom then to the witch and said "I want it all!" and handed her a load of gold. After what seemed like forever, a prefect opened the door and said to them that they should start getting ready, as they would be there within a half of an hour. Tom and Avery pulled on their robes that they had bought and picked up all the trash they had created.

They gathered all there luggage and got off the train, to hear "First years over hear" from a deep gruff voice, "First years please this way". After everyone had been gathered he said "Please leave your trunks over there and follow me to the boats." They walked over there and the man with the deep voice started talking again "Climb into the boats _carefully _please, I don't want to have to jump in and save anyone." They had all climbed into the boats and their voyage had started. "WHOA! What was that" yelled Avery and the man with the deep voice said "Must've been the Giant Squid."

Thirty minutes later they had arrived at the castle finally. They walked up the steps and into the great hall where the sorting was about to begin. In the front of the hall sat a hat on an old three legged stool. All the first years had gathered in front of the hat and stool, and the sorting had begun. Twenty minutes into the sorting Tom's name was called, he stepped forward and sat upon the stool. The hat was placed over his head, and almost immediately it cried "SLYTHERIN!".


End file.
